Improving Inadequate Welfare Laws for Animal Transport, and How to Speak to People About Fur

Listen to this show here!

To start this show, we have a few grudges to bear! First, the vegan tax. Why is it, in this culture of growing veganism, do restaurants so commonly impose a “surcharge” at veganize a food item or dish? An extra 70 cents for almond milk in our coffee, or even an extra $5 for vegan cheese on nachos! How can living a vegan lifestyle be normalized in our society if the food establishments keep charging ridiculous extra prices in order to omit the cruelty?

And on the opposite end of criticism against restaurants, we have this. Just when you think that restaurants are becoming more vegan-friendly, we now have a Vancouver restaurant offering up seal meat on their menu! One argument for it is that it’s “sustainable” since all the seal meat from the annual Canadian seal hunt is not being used anyways, so there is lots to be eaten. Oh boy.

How to Speak to People About Fur

Is this the reaction you get when you talk to people about fur?

With the weather at freezing temperatures these days, it’s very common to see people on the streets wearing the furs of dead, innocent animals, who were cruelly trapped and killed so we could wear them for warmth or for fashion. Many of these furs come from coyote dogs, as seen on the fur trim of the popular Canada Goose jackets that can be found on people on the sidewalks, in the stores, and on the Skytrain in abundance here in Vancouver.

For many of us, the cruelty associated with the “harvesting” of these furs is plain and clear, and we may wonder why someone would knowledgeably want to flaunt death on their bodies – or, maybe they don’t know it’s real? Do you, or can you speak up to engage with people about the cruelty of fur?

In this segment, we offer tips and advice on how to speak to people about the furs they are wearing. We want to empower you to be a voice for the animals!

Our fearless host Jen Dobell has a lot of experience in this area, and she shares with us her thoughts and strategies when it comes to engaging with people about the fur they are wearing. She’s a voice for the voiceless, and we hope you will be, too!

Currently, pigs can go up to 36 hours without food, water or rest on transport trucks. And this is not even a regulated law.

Our feature interview is with lawyer Anna Pippus from the non-profit organization Animal Justice, which fights for legal protection of animals in Canada. Recently, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released proposed amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations – the rules that govern the treatment of farmed animals during transportation – an estimated 700 million per year.

Canada’s current regulations are decades old and considered by experts to be the worst in the Western world. The spotlight is on these regulations now, as we Canadians are being given a 75 day comment period in which to submit feedback to the government that could help improve these laws.

In this interview, Anna tells us the facts we need to know about the transport laws, and what Canadians can do to help.

Animal Justice also has an easy form here that you can fill out to send a letter to your MP and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay to let them know about some of the changes that need to be made, concerning animals who transported for lengthy periods without food, water, or rest; exposed to extreme weather conditions; and shocked with electric prods. Canadians have until February of this year to have our voice heard to make change!